NBA Center Tier List: Where does Zach Collins rank?

Tier Six: Young Starters

Last but not least is tier six, which is reserved for young starters, not Collins, who are still hard to categorize in the preceding tiers. Despite that, many of them are set to move up in the center ranks soon enough. The second overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft, Chet Holmgren, could make an immediate impact for the Oklahoma City Thunder and is seen as a threat to challenge Wembanyama for Rookie of the Year. But since he has yet to play an NBA game, it is hard to place him in a specific tier.

25.) Wendell Carter Jr.
26.) Alperen Sengun
27.) Walker Kessler
28.) Mitchell Robinson
29.) Jalen Duren
30.) Chet Holmgren

Other centers, such as Jalen Duren and Walker Kessler, showed promise starting as rookies last season, specifically Kessler, who averaged an impressive 2.3 blocks per game as a rookie. But, with only one season under their belt, we'll need to see more to figure out where they rank.

The same can be said for rising third-year center Alperen Sengun, who became a full-time starter last season for the Houston Rockets. He projects to be better than tier six, as do Carter Jr. and Robinson, but each has only started for two seasons.

Despite ranking as a tier five starting center heading into the 2023-24 season, Zach Collins could easily jump up a tier if he continues playing well and making progress with the Silver and Black.